1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of data communication and more particularly to the use of optimization methodologies to enhance the results of facsimile transmission.
2. Background Art
In today's fast-paced business environment, a major portions of many workers' responsibilities include the receipt and processing of information. Data, in the form of letters memos, reports, charts, graphs, etc., arrives in many forms in many different locations. Much of this information is presently transmitted, received, and processed using electronic data transmission technologies. For example, email, instant messaging, digital voice communication, etc. are becoming increasingly popular methods of transmitting information.
While significant quantities of data and information are readily available in a digital format, paper remains a viable method for communicating information in the modern world. Despite the rapid growth of email and instant messaging as communication tools, facsimile transmission remains a very popular solution for rapid transmission of data from one place to another. Facsimile machines remain a staple of most business offices and many workers still rely on facsimile transmission, even when other communication methodologies are available.
Facsimile transmissions enjoy many advantages over other forms of information transmission. For example, no expensive computer system is required for sending or receiving a facsimile transmission. Given that facsimile machines use standard phone lines for communicating, the installation and support of a facsimile machine is a fairly simple task that can be completed very quickly. Additionally, most office workers are very familiar with the operation of a facsimile machine and need little training or supervision to accomplish the task.
A standard facsimile transmission is accomplished by placing a document into a facsimile machine and, using the facsimile machine, scanning the image to create an electronic data file. The electronic data file is then transmitted over standard phone lines to the receiving facsimile machine where the data file is interpreted and printed out onto paper by the receiving facsimile machine. The process is fairly straightforward and can be accomplished quickly and efficiently by many readily available facsimile machines.
Given the widespread proliferation and acceptance of the facsimile machine, it is not surprising to learn that facsimile transmission is still one of the most widely used methods of data transmission found in the world today. However, even though facsimile transmission remains very popular, there are several factors that must be addressed when adopting facsimile transmission for certain applications. For example, most facsimile machines have a wide variety of settings that allow for the configuration of the machine for different purposes. Settings such as “fine,” “superfine,” etc. can affect the quality of the
As shown by the discussion herein, without additional improvements in the systems and methods utilized in locating and processing information for users, search results provided by standard search engines will continue to be sub-optimal, at least for certain classes of users and certain types of searches.